R.I.P. George Duke, The Only Man To Look Cool While Holding A Keytar

George Duke was one of the greats. The multi-instrumentalist and producer worked with the likes of Frank Zappa, Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, and Anita Baker during his long, storied, funky career, which sadly came to an end last night in Los Angeles, when he passed away from unknown causes at the age of 67.

Active in the music world since the 1960s, Duke was a prolific solo artist and leader of various ensembles, releasing over 30 albums. Duke scored a number of films and is responsible for the sample source material for a number of contemporary dance and rap songs, including tracks by Daft Punk, Common, Madlib, A Tribe Called Quest, MF Doom, Ice Cube, and countless others. (Via)

Only the man responsible for Daft Punk’s “Digital Love” and A Tribe Called Quest’s “Midnight” samples could get away with holding a keytar, a look that Duke made impossibly cool.